Author's Notes: Alright, here's the last chapter before things start going downhill for Enne. I asked a friend of mine to read this fanfic but she got confused because she told me she forgot much about Dragon Ball, so I hope the scenery, landscape descriptions, and etc. aren't too vague. There's no way I'm going to describe them like Tolkien, ha ha ha, as if I ever had such supreme skills to begin with.

I see new people who faved/wanted alerts for my story, wow, thank you.

Review Replies:

Zulacent - Yes, I've read some good and bad Cell fics here. I tried to make his change gradual, and thanks for saying it's realistic. Although I'm not going to venture very deeply into Cell's mind, it would spoil what his feelings/emotions are, so I left that to the later chapters. :)

Cell loving lady - I would love Cell being sent to me thank you very much... only if he's not in a bad mood. ;)

Chemistry-Deaf - Don't worry, they'll get there, somehow (^_^), but for the moment they're gonna walk walk walk. I want them to do that because it makes the passing of time kind of more believable than by vehicle or whatnot. Goku and friends have it so easy when they look for the dragon balls like it's no big deal, but I planned on making it hard for Enne and Cell because I have to cover two years of travel with them, to make their development and relationship more "realistic". And yeah, you could say the next chapter is the turning point, or last, of this arc.

Honeybunches123 - Aw thanks, it is kinda scary but that's why I posted this here when I almost finished writing it. That way, I feel less pressured and can just write what I want to write.

And to the others who have reviewed, thank you for that, I'm delighted enough just to know that you're reading the story. Hope you're all doing well in life.

Man, am I saying a lot here, but I just want to point out that Cell offering Enne a ride on his back, like in chapter two, is a one time act. He hated every bit of it and wouldn't like doing it again (he's such a prick). And remember, he has to spend/waste the two years and turn imperfect before they get to wish, this I mentioned in chapter eight, just clarifying things.

Okay, that's it, they have two more dragon balls to get. Here goes.

Chapter 10: Monster of My Subconscious

The last time Enne checked the radar, there was also another dragon ball seven hundred miles southwest of Mount Paozu but when she checked the map, the best route going there was to walk to the southernmost part of the desert and swim the last two hundred miles which was also, sadly, not possible. She decided to think about crossing the sea after they had collected all the dragon balls on land. Travel by boat would be very convenient but she had little experience in swimming and none at all in manning a boat. And there was Cell who, judging by his body type, obviously wasn't meant for swimming.

The journey from the Shinkous' cabin to Mount Paozu covered three-fourths of the Earth, but to travel from Mount Paozu to the sixth dragon ball meant to walk across the world. The revelation felt akin to being resigned to fate and Enne blamed herself for it. Days into their journey, her brooding attitude was a change of pace from the relaxed atmosphere they usually carried. Cell knew that someday she would recover so he left her alone whenever she contemplated.

The noon after they spent the night in their capsule house between Gingertown and the Shinkou cabin, Cell noticed that Enne kept walking northwest.

"You're going in the wrong direction," he said, more intrigued than irritated.

The girl sighed. "I know, I just thought you'd figure it out."

"What is it?" He knew that the time machine was located a few miles north but if it were not that then he had no idea what she was talking about.

"If it's not too much, could we spend the day in my home?"

"Your home?" He meant to ask why but he blurted out an obvious question instead.

"The cabin I grew up in, I'd like to see how things are."

There was a silent pause as Cell pondered how interesting it would be to see this girl's dwelling. "As you wish."

"Thanks." She gave him a soft smile.

She expected it to be a little dusty from absence of care. From outside, the cabin and the greenery around it looked the same as it always did. There was a little wear and tear on the roof tiles and speckles on the windows, probably due to rain. She unlocked the door and saw that nothing really has changed much since the day she left. She walked to the side table where her grandfather's picture was, kneeled, and prayed.

Cell surveyed the living room. The side table with the picture of Enne's grandfather was beside the television. There was a black leather sofa set, a wooden coffee table, and a big window just above a desk. "So this is where you live." Cell walked across the living room and saw the dining room just beyond the divider. There was a wooden glass door that probably led into the kitchen. Cozy.

"Yes," Enne answered, opening her eyes from prayer.

"With your grandfather?"

"Glad you remember." She stood up and felt for dust on the leather sofa. It was quite a relief that after all that time, not much has settled. She threw her backpack on it and rolled her shoulders. She pulled Cell's eggshells out of the bag and laid them on the tabletop beside the window. "A souvenir."

Cell stood by the fireplace. "Let me meditate here."

Looking at him, Enne knew that she had meditation of her own to do. That could have even been the purpose of why she wanted to spend the whole day in the place she felt most comfortable in. It had almost been two years since she started the search for the dragon balls. Time flies, I didn't even feel two birthdays go by. She walked to the dining room and up the stairs to the second floor where the balcony, bathroom, and bedrooms were. She entered her bedroom and looked up at the framed picture on the wall. That was her when she was thirteen, she insisted her grandfather take a picture of her on her first teenage year. She couldn't help but chuckle inside. Some people wanted to slap their past selves but she wanted to give hers a pat on the back.

She lay on the bed, crossed her arms over her tummy, and closed her eyes.

Nearly a two year journey for one wish. Well, it took even longer because they had to travel the world. Such an important fact overlooked left a bad taste in her mouth. But at last, it was just a thousand more miles south. And about that dragon ball over the sea, she could just build a raft and sail northwest from Yahhoy City, the world was round anyway. Oblate spheroid, more accurate.

She thought about her dreams, of how she wanted to have a proper education and be well-read. She has read a lot of books in her eighteen years of life but who wouldn't want a proper education where you go to school, study for exams, get grades, meet people, and possibly have friends? What if she just wished for money, then she could spend every bit on her ambitions, charity, research, and the like.

She remembered when she was sixteen, so excited and eager about the adventure. She thought about her original wish and weighed it against wishing for money. Was it shallow to wish for money that would fund your education so that you could fulfill your dreams? But wait, was this journey hers alone? Was the wish hers alone? She had a friend that was in it for something but whatever that something was, she had no idea. Spending all the time with Cell every day of her life, she learned that he wasn't just secretive. No, this creature was intelligent and who knows what, or who, he really is. From what she observed, he's quiet, sometimes spiteful, sometimes cold, and other times she really couldn't figure him out. What if she tested him? What if she was unconsciously being tested by him? Two can play at that game.

What's more, she sensed some sort of unknown strength emanating from him these past few days. It's as if, she dared to admit, something was growing inside of him. Is he naturally getting stronger? Maybe he's just aging. He said he was twenty-nine so he's probably thirty by now, whenever his birthday is.

Not that she regarded him with utmost distrust, let alone thought ill of him. She was just being cautious because it bothered her that after all the time she had to understand him, he was still an enigma. She did know his intellectual capabilities, calculative and logical and all, but she didn't know his personality aside from being bland, sardonic, and at some occasions, downright unforgiving.

How far she had gone, even she surprised herself, in being skeptical of the only being outside family that she became close to. Then again, this friendship may not even exist at all.

Her thoughts drifted between the wish and Cell, and the compromise it entailed.

She found herself hiding under her bedroom table. Apparently, she was cowering.

She heard unfamiliar footsteps near the door and someone screaming in agony. Knowing that it was her grandfather, she uncontrollably quivered with fear.

No. No. No more, please.

Whatever torture that was, it lasted quite a while. Then the yelling stopped. The footsteps sounded again, the killer was walking. After pleading in her mind, she stared at the door, waiting for the killer to come and torment her. Oh what terror she felt.

The doorknob clicked and everything went black.

Enne opened her eyes and looked around, she was still lying on the bed.

Kami on high, what the hell was that? She sat up and stared at the floor, trying hard to recall everything in the nightmare. It was so vivid that even the fear that coursed through her felt fresh. It was kind of weird but she was disappointed by not seeing the killer. Anyway, it was just an illusion created by her mind. It can never change the fact that her grandfather died a peaceful death.

She combed her hair and ambled off to the living room.

When she arrived, Cell was still in a meditative state.

"You're not done yet?" This was another mystery to her. How was he able to meditate for so long? What was he thinking if he wasn't just clearing his mind?

"No," he replied, no movement whatsoever.

"Hm, okay."

She looked out of the window and saw a starry night sky. It would take another while before she could sleep, especially after that nightmare, so she decided to take a relaxing shower instead. After taking a quick glance at grandpa Shinkou's picture, she climbed back up the stairs.

"Why do you do that?" Cell asked Enne who was kneeling again in front of the picture. Rays of gold light passed through the window, giving the room a solemn ambience.

"What?" She turned her head to face him.

"Kneel there." He knew that the aged man in the picture was her grandfather but he didn't know why she had to kneel, sometimes to simply close her eyes or stare, in front of it. He did not understand why she needed to kneel in front of a dead man's picture. Sure the man was her grandfather but, to him, it looked more like some form of worship.

"I'm talking to him, well, not literally. I'm telling him about the journey, the dragon balls, everything."

"But he's dead." Cell was interested in knowing what good it did to talk to departed ones.

How sensitive. Enne sighed. "Just because someone's dead doesn't mean they're not with you anymore, especially if you had a special connection. That's good enough for me. So, are you ready?" She stood up and checked her bag. The most important things, namely the dragon balls, the radar, and the map, were all in place.

"As you are."

"Alright, let's go."

She stepped out and felt the cool moist air around her. The leaves were still wet with dew, reminiscent of the days when she rolled on the grass only to be lectured by her grandfather for getting muddy. It made her nostalgic. She indulged the feeling for a moment but, quite forcefully, dismissed it.

Other Notes: Okay, I'm gonna admit something. The nightmare was really my nightmare when I was a kid. I dreamt (if only nightmared was a word) that Imperfect Cell was eating my parents... I just needed an outlet for that and it seemed to fit nicely in this chapter.

Thank you very much for reading / reviewing / faving.